Read On, Fellow Readers!

Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers, and happy Friday! We are now at the end of our reading of Fear of the Animal Planet by Jason Hribal. It is also, sadly, the end of this installment of the VegNews Book Club. After a year of reading and discussing some really great books, the book club is coming to a close for the time being. Keep a look out for other exciting VegNews projects in the future, and keep reading those books! New, vegan and animal-rights related titles are coming out right and left—you'll find many of them in the Media Lounge section of VegNews Magazine. I hope everyone has enjoyed the books and conversation as much as I have. Have a beautiful summer!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers, and welcome to the last week of the VegNews Book Club, in which we are discussing Fear of the Animal Planet by Jason Hribal. This was a unique book, and I hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did.

We read the rest of the book for this week's discussion, which talked about sea mammals in captivity, including seals, dolphins, and orca whales, also referred to as Killer Whales. The stories pretty much went the same way as the previous stories in the book, in which these animal tried to escape, or if escape was not possible, they attacked. The different attacks depicted were mainly from the dolphins and the orca whales. What fascinated me the most about these attacks, which sometimes even lead to the death of trainers, is that attacks like these are usually not publicized. Sea World is such a big and wealthy corporation, that it has the ability to keep these instances quiet, even though they should be known. Especially the story about Tilikum, who grabbed the trainer from outside the pool into the water, and after shaking her quite violently, held her at the bottom of the pool until she drowned. This was not an isolated incident, showing that these types of attacks are not accidents, but instead are the animals' way of saying that they want their freedom. I think they are making their message clear, but the owners of these major tourist industries either don't want to listen, or are too greedy to listen.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. What chapter in the book most interested you? What story was the most captivating, and really showed you that these animals' are trying to tell us something?

 
2. Do you think it is greed or arrogance that keep the owners of parks like Sea World buying wild sea animals to perform in front of large audiences?

 
The Assignment: Enjoy more great reads during the summer months! Check out some good ones here.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary:  Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers, and happy Friday! We are now at the end of our third week of reading Fear of the Animal Planet by Jason Hribal. Unfortunately, there was no participation in the discussion this week, so I'll just keep the wrap up brief. Though upsetting, I think this book is very informative about what is happening behind the scenes of zoos, circuses, and other places that exhibit and exploit animals. As Hribal explains, these stories are usually covered up, or at least portrayed in way to make the situation not look as bad as it really is. This is truly upsetting, and I'm glad that there are books like this one out there that are not afraid to tell the truth.

Next week will be the last discussion of the book, as well as the last discussion of the VegNews Book Club. Please have the rest of the book read by then—I look forward to our conversation!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers! We are in the third week of our discussion of Fear of the Animal Planet by Jason Hribal. Another short read for this week, but I don't mind too much. It's been incredibly nice, now that we're in the midst of summer, and it's great to not worry about too much reading.

We read another chapter of the book for this week's discussion, which talks about monkeys. Hribal gives many different accounts of escape attempts and attacks of monkeys in zoos and research laboratories. The stories of the escape attempts are truly amazing, and really goes to show the extent of these animals' need for freedom. One such incredible story is of the orangutans Ken and Kumang in the San Diego Zoo. After several escapes, the zoo spent three months rebuilding the orangutan facility to make it escape-proof. It held for a while, but four years after the new facility debuted, another orangutan, Indah, found a way out.

The stories about the monkeys used to make films deeply saddened me, specifically the story about the chimpanzees used in the film Project X, in which they were beaten regularly by the trainers on the set. I watched this movie as a child, and the movie has an animal-rights message. The main character is played by a young Matthew Broderick, who is a janitor in a laboratory that experiments on chimpanzees. He comes to know the animals, and helps them to escape at the end of the film. How completely ridiculous that a movie has such abuses and cruelty on its set, while preaching such a message. It horrifies me that there are these types of contradictions out there, and makes me even more skeptical of people's motives in the entertainment industry.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. Do you think that all films that have animals in them also abuse these animals behind the scenes? Will you watch any films that include animals and claim to have an animal-rights message, even though there's a possibility of abuse on the set?

2. What story most fascinated you in this chapter?

 
The Assignment: Please read the rest of Fear of the Animal Planet for our discussion on Monday, June 20.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary:  Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers! We are now at the end of our second week of reading Fear of the Animal Planet by Jason Hribal. Thanks for the discussion this week—I appreciate the participation.

For this week's discussion, I asked you two questions—if you have any regrets from your past that may have negatively impacted animals, and your response to zoo keepers saying that they are helping animals. It sounds like we all have some regrets from our childhood regarding our treatment of animals, but the main one was visiting places where animals are exhibited or used for entertainment. Regarding the second question, it was agreed upon that zoo keepers think they are doing the right thing, but in a very biased sense—they don't want to consider any other point of view. From what we've read so far in the book, it seems like zoo keepers are in denial about how they are treating animals. These captive animals are obviously not happy, which is why there have been so many escape attempts and attacks in the history of zoos.

I hope you guys are enjoying the book so far. We will be discussing the next chapter next week—have a great weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers! We are in the second week of our discussion of Fear of the Animal Planet by Jason Hribal. Due to it being a shorter book, our reading was actually not too long for our conversation this week—one chapter, to be specific. I hope you guys found it interesting.

The chapter we read talks more about captive elephants, but instead of circus elephants, Hribal discusses elephants in zoos, and stories of different elephants who have turned against their trainers and tried to escape. The story most striking for me was the one about Babe who resided at the Toledo Zoo. My entire family is actually from Toledo, OH, and as a child, I visited the Toledo Zoo quite often until I moved to Virginia at the age of six. I feel terrible about the fact that my family supported the zoo so much, and I recall that I very much enjoyed myself, but I was also a very young child.

The story about Babe is quite upsetting, to say the least, just like the rest of the stories within this chapter, as well as the entire book. He was paraded around and abused quite frequently by his various trainers, one of which he killed. The zoo considered him a troublesome elephant, and was even going to be executed. Fortunately—if you could say that word for an animal who spends his life in captivity—the general public of Toledo did not like the idea of seeing him killed, which prevented it from happening. However, Babe still died while in captivity later on.

I also just recently found out that the Toledo Zoo is still celebrating the captivity of elephants. Just last Friday, an African elephant was born in the confines of the zoo. People are wildly ecstatic about this, and the story is all over the news, but I'm sure the newborn baby will not be happy with a life behind bars.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. I mentioned above about my regret in going to the zoo often as a child. Do you have any specific regrets that you have done in the past that may have had a negative impact on animals, other than eating meat?

2. Zoo keepers say that they are helping animals, and even claim to be rescuers of animals. What is your response to this?

 
The Assignment: Please read chapter three of Fear of the Animal Planet for our discussion on Monday, June 13.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary:  Good morning everyone! We are now at the end of our first week of reading Fear of the Animal Planet by Jason Hribal. We received a couple of comments, which I appreciate, and next week we will be discussing the next chapter of the book. I hope you enjoy it! 

This week, I first asked your thoughts on how when animals were put on trial, and treated in the same way as other people on trial. Both Amy D. and Victoria who commented had mixed views. It is hard to picture animals being put trial in a court of law, and I'm not really sure of my feelings on the matter as well. One could say that the animals were more equal back then, but at the same time, animals are different than human beings, and obviously did not have the ability to defend themselves. It is quite an interesting topic of discussion, and one that I have already brought up in my personal group of friends.

I then asked what you think of Hribal's writing style, and seems that both Amy D. and Victoria like it so far. I do agree with Amy D. regarding Hribal's tendency to digress from his subject quite often, but his digressions are usually pretty interesting.


That wraps things up until our discussion on Monday. Have a great weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers, and welcome to the month of June! I realize that we are still technically in the month of May, but it will be June soon enough, and it's time to discuss our final book of the VegNews Book Club, Fear of the Animal Planet by Jason Hribal. This is definitely more of an independent book, and not well-known, but it seems to be an interesting book so far, and I look forward to discussing it with everyone!

I asked you to read the introduction, prologue, and chapter one for our discussion today. As you may have realized, this book mainly deals with animals used in the entertainment business, rather than food animals. It is also intriguing because it highlights instances when these animals have pretty deliberately sought revenge. The introduction gives a bit of history of human and animal interaction, and the writer, Jeffrey St. Clair, spends a good amount of time talking about how in the Middle Ages, animals were put on trial just like humans. These trials stopped a little after the early-seventeenth century, in which St Clair believes is the time when humans started to think of themselves as superior to animals, and able to use animals any way they wanted to, such as for entertainment and educational purposes.

Hribal's first chapter talks about circus elephants, and depicts different times in history when elephants have attacked and sometimes killed their trainers, as well as their escape attempts. He writes the book from the animals' point of view, helping the reader to understand why the animal attacked in the first place. We in the animal-rights movement already know how viciously these animals are treated, but you don't need to be an animal-rights activist to understand why these elephants did what they did. Hribal concludes the first chapter with the story of Tyke—an elephant killed in 1993 in Honolulu after he attacked his trainers and escaped from a show. His death—even though it was just one of many—helped to start a movement against the use of elephants in the entertainment industry. Although they are still used today, Hribal claims that the number has greatly decreased, and many elephants have been saved and moved to sanctuaries to live the rest of their lives in peace.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. As mentioned by St. Clair, people now view putting animals on trial as foolish. What are your thoughts on this point of history when animals were put on trial?

2. What do you think of Hribal's writing style? Do you think he's getting his point across?
 
The Assignment: Please read chapter two of Fear of the Animal Planet for our discussion on Monday, June 6. See you then!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary:  Good afternoon everyone! I hope everyone's excited about the long weekend coming up—I sure am. Due to Monday being Memorial Day, discussion will be posted Tuesday, May 31, and it will be our first of the June read, Fear of the Animal Planet by Jason Hribal. I have already started reading, and it's very interesting. I hope you guys like it as well!

This week's final discussion of The Bond by Wayne Pacelle was great—thanks to all those who commented! It seems like everyone is very optimistic about the book in general, as well as the future of the animal-rights movement. There will always be wins and losses when it comes to important issues, but it's good to always stay positive.

I want to take this time to announce that next month will be the final month of the VegNews Book Club. It's been a full year of discussing fantastic books, and I want to thank everyone who has participated. We hope that you still continue to read books with animal-rights messages, as it's always important to stay informed. Thanks again for a great year of the VegNews Book Club, and have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon, and welcome to the fourth and final week of our discussion of The Bond by Wayne Pacelle. Next week, we will begin our discussion of Fear of the Animal Planet by Jason Hribal, which seems like a very interesting read. Be sure to get your copy, so you can join in.


We finished the book by reading the entirety of Part Three this week, which includes two chapters. There is also a small section entitled "Fifty Ways to Help Animals," which literally states 50 ways to help, such as adopting a vegetarian/vegan lifestyle, writing letters to the editor regarding animal-protection issues, and just registering to vote. All of part three is mainly about creating a more humane world, and in chapter seven, Pacelle first states different cruelties that are still going on in the US and world, and tells about the people who defend these ways. The cruelties he talks about mainly encompass the use of animals for food, clothing, and sport. Organizations, such as the USDA, support the factory farmers because that's where the money is, and the National Rifle Association (NRA) defends all types of hunting, even the hunting that really isn't hunting—pigeon shoots, for example—because they believe it is a human right. Pacelle explains that is not about rights, but tradition and an unwillingness to change, that keeps these cruelties going.


In the final chapter of part three, Pacelle discusses how we could go about developing a more humane economy. He reiterates the fact that most cruelties stem from our not wanting to change and move away from tradition, even though once we do, the humane way is always the best option. He opens the chapter talking about when he went whale watching with a group of animal advocates, and relates how whale watching is now the norm in the Northeast, just a little more than 100 years ago the norm was whale hunting. So many inhumane practices are insufficient and costly, such as animal testing, but due to the fact that it's the norm, it is still happening. However, things are getting better, and small changes are being taken to help animals. Such changes include the development of chemical birth control to stem the population of wildlife, and possibly even dogs and cats in the near future. Also, the use of new and improved scientific methods to test the toxicity of chemicals in consumer products, without testing them on animals. It is changes like these that are helping us move in the right direction towards a more humane world.


The Discussion: Here are three discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!


1. What are your thoughts on the use of chemical birth control to keep the population of animal wildlife at bay?


2. Pacelle says that at the World Animal Forum in May 2010, they made several resolutions, including the worldwide ban on factory-farming practices by 2050. What do you think of these goals? Do you think they can be reached?


3. Overall, how did you like The Bond? Would you recommend it to a meat-eating friend? 


The Assignment: Due to the holiday weekend, next week's discussion will begin on Tuesday, May 31. Please read the introduction, Prologue, and chapter one for our discussion. See you then!


~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary:  Hello VegNews Book Clubbers, and happy Friday! We are now at the end of the third week of our discussion of The Bond by Wayne Pacelle, in which we talked about companion animals and wild life, specifically National Parks, and if you have ever visited one before. Thanks for the responses! All who responded have an animal friend with unique backgrounds. I appreciate you sharing your stories with everyone. Regarding National Parks, most of you have visited one of these spectacular places, and have had great experiences there. I would love to go visit more myself—they are truly the wonders of the US.

We have one more week of our discussion of The Bond, which I look forward to talking to you about next week. Please have the rest of the book finished by then. Have a great weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers! It's a rainy day here in San Francisco, and I hope you guys are experiencing some nicer weather. We are now in our third week of discussing The Bond by Wayne Pacelle, which I hope you guys are enjoying. This week, we will be talking about chapters five and six.

Chapter five is all about companion animals, the bond we share with these animals, and the hidden cruelties of the commercialized pet industry. Pacelle begins with the story of Katrina, the devastation that it imparted to New Orleans, and how it separated many people from their companion animals. He talks about the rescue effort, and relates some of the individual stories of people being reunited with their animals. He uses the Katrina rescue story to show the connection we have with our animal friends, and how it is not easily broken. He then goes on to talk about where we get our companion animals from. Many people get their animals from puppy mills, which are terrible places, and exist only to make a profit. HSUS actually has led raids on puppy mills and discovered terrible conditions, such as dogs being stacked in wire cages, and being neglected. Many of these dogs come out of puppy mills with health conditions for the rest of their lives. Pacelle urges readers to adopt from rescue shelters. He talks about how rescue shelters are continually trying to adopt no-kill policies, but it is hard to do so due to the fact that there are so many homeless animals.

In chapter six, Pacelle talks about animals in the wild, and the human-animal interaction when it comes to the wild. At a young age, Pacelle was a ranger for the Student Conservation Association, which largely led him to where he is now. He says that at that time he was able to really connect with the environment around him, and he acquired a very strong respect for the wild. In the chapter, he talks about some instances—including the Yellowstone bison, Alaskan wolf hunting, the Canadian seal hunt, and hunting in general—where humans have shown a complete lack of respect for the wild, and what he has done, along with HSUS, to try to make things better.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. Do you have a companion animal? If so, where did you rescue them from?

2. Have you ever visited a National Park? Which one, and what was your experience like?

The Assignment: Please read the rest of The Bond for our discussion on Monday, May 23.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary:  Happy Friday everyone! First of all, it seems that Blogger has been experiencing some problems, so unfortunately, some of our discussion has been removed, but we hope they will be recovered. It was a really good discussion, in which we mainly talked about Michael Vick, and how Wayne Pacelle came to the decision to work with him in HSUS' campaign against animal fighting, and whether we agreed with his decision or not. I also brought up the fact that since Vick's release from prison for his dog-fighting ring, he has been allowed to play in the NFL once again, which was very upsetting because playing in the NFL is a privilege, and one that Vick should have lost. We definitely had some heated comments regarding these issues, which totally makes sense. The situation with Vick was very upsetting for many, and not just animal activists. As we all know, animals that are more domesticated—dogs and cats in particular—are regarded very differently than other animals. When the violence of Vick's dog-fighting was exposed, it definitely struck a cord with most people—it's very hard to fathom that type of cruelty.

I want to thank everyone again for participating in this week's discussion, and sorry once again for the maintenance issues with Blogger. I look forward to our discussion next week, in which we will be talking about the next two chapters of The Bond.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Hello VegNews Book Clubbers! I hope you had a great Mother's Day weekend, and enjoying your reading of The Bond by Wayne Pacelle. We still have some copies of the book on the VN Store, so if you don't have one already, be sure to pick one up!

For this week's discussion, we read the next two chapters, which are in the second part of the book. The first chapter talks about the abuses of the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Company in Chico, Calif., in which HSUS investigated and helped to shut down. Pacelle also relates HSUS's fight to pass Proposition 2 in California, which addressed some of the worst confinement practices in factory farming. In 2008, the proposition passed, which was a huge step for the humane treatment of animals.

In the second chapter, Pacelle talks about the cruelties of animal fighting, specifically dog and cock fighting. Specifically, he talks about his work with Michael Vick, the NFL football player who ran a dog-fighting ring in Virginia, until it was raided in 2007, and Vick was sentenced to prison for 18 months. Near the end of his sentence, Vick contacted Pacelle and expressed interest in working with HSUS to help it's anti-dog-fighting campaign. Pacelle was very skeptical at first, but explains that he saw an importance in working with Vick to help get the message across about the cruelty of dog fighting, especially to the impoverished youth of America, who are more prone to these types of activities. Vick is still working with HSUS, and by the end of 2010, he had spoken to 10,000 kids in communities that are at risk.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. Do you think that it was a good idea for HSUS to work with Michael Vick after he did such cruel things to animals? Why, or why not?

2. As Pacelle mentions, animal fighting is very low on the radar for most people, even though it is quite prevalent. Why do you think this is?

The Assignment: Please read the next two chapters of The Bond for our discussion on Monday, May 16. And don't miss Pacelle on The Today Show tomorrow!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers! Thanks for a great first week of conversation, in which we are discussing The Bond by Wayne Pacelle. Being the president of HSUS, Pacelle deals with animal-rights issues every day, which I'm sure gives him many stories to tell. I'm glad he wrote a book to share his experience with others, and to further help the cause.

I asked three questions last Monday to get the conversation started, and I want to thank Sock and Amy D. for participating this week! First, I asked if you think we could ever fully mend the broken bond between humans and animals. Both Sock and Amy D. agreed that we will never be able to fully mend it, but we can take steps to make it better. I then asked what you thought of Pacelle's writing style, and both readers have been really happy with it, and the fact that it is very straight-forward and realistic. I definitely agree—I find his style to be very easy to read. Finally, I asked for you to share your thoughts on HSUS, and both answers were extremely positive. As we all know, even within movements, there are differences, and in the past I have heard some people talk negatively about the organization. I think that they fear the fact that it is so big, and a bit more mainstream than other animal-rights organizations. It's important to remember that this is not a bad thing—HSUS has been able to make some very big strides in the animal movement because of its size and influence.

I want to wish everyone a happy weekend and happy reading! We will be discussing the next two chapters of The Bond this coming Monday, May 9.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Happy Monday, VegNews Book Clubbers, and welcome to the start of May! I honestly can't believe we're in the fifth month of 2011 already, but I guess I need to accept it. We have now started our reading of The Bond by Wayne Pacelle, president of The Humane Society of the United States. This week, we will talk about the Preface, Introduction, and Part One of the book, which make up about the first 100 pages.

In this week's section, Pacelle discusses the connection between humans and animals. He explains how humans take that connection for granted and use their power over animals in a negative way, such as the use of animals in circuses, experimentation on chimps, the horse meat trade, and the slaughter of more than 50 billion animals for food.

Pacelle talks about his own experiences with animals, as well as the history of the human/animal relationship. The relationship can go in two very different directions—one direction being kindness, and the other being cruelty. We are able to treat our companion animals with such love and affection, but then eat a hamburger, which is made from another domesticated animal that was horribly abused until the moment of its death. Pacelle acknowledges these two varying relationships, and claims that it is time to take only one path—that of kindness.

He then goes on to discuss how animals are misunderstood, and are denied basic rights due to the power humans hold over animals. For example, we know that animals are intelligent, but they are denied this intelligence because it's a way for human beings to justify their cruelty toward other species. However, Pacelle writes that this view of animals is beginning to change for the better—as we can see with the increasing interest in vegetarianism, the many animal sanctuaries popping up, and the successes of HSUS itself. Additionally, he stresses that we have a moral obligation to help animals, since they can't speak out on their own.


The Discussion: Here are three discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. Do you think we will ever fully mend the broken bond between humans and animals? Why, or why not?

2. What do you think of Pacelle's writing style and voice?

3. What is your view of The Humane Society of the United States? Do you think they are doing a sufficient job of helping animals?

The Assignment: Please read chapter 3 through chapter 4 (two chapters) of The Bond for our discussion on Monday, May 9.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Good afternoon, and happy Friday! I want to thank everyone for a great discussion of Vegan's Daily Companion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau this month. I don't know about you, but this month went super fast for me, and I can't believe it will be May next week. Be sure to have the Preface, Introduction, and Part One of The Bond by Wayne Pacelle read for next week's discussion—I'm sure it's going to be a great and informative read.

I hope you guys enjoy your weekend, and I'll see you next week!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Hello everyone! I am reporting from San Diego, Calif., where I am taking a brief vacation. I just recently went to Pokéz, which has excellent vegan Mexican fare—it was delicious. If any of you have any other restaurant suggestions, I'd love to hear about them!

We have now finished Vegan's Daily Companion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, which was a fun and light read, and a book that is definitely a keeper. I look forward to going back and trying out the recipes and various tips! We will begin our discussion of The Bond by Wayne Pacelle next week, beginning on Monday, May 2—pick up a copy from the VN Store if you don't have one already.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. What is your favorite book by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, and why? If not this one, why not?

2. Have you tried any of the recipes from the Saturdays and Sundays? Which ones, and how were they?

The Assignment: Please read the Preface, Introduction, and Part One of The Bond for our discussion on Monday, May 2.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Happy Friday everyone! I have recently arrived in San Diego, Calif., which is gorgeous. I hope everyone else has a fun Easter weekend planned as well!

Thanks for our discussion this week, in which we talked about our favorite books and movies with an animal-rights message, as well as animal sanctuaries and rescuing animals. As to the first discussion question, I recently received How to Train Your Dragon from Netflix, which I heard has a great animal-rights message. It recently won Best Feature Film from HSUS at the annual Genesis Awards, and I really look forward to watching it. Have any of you seen it yet? What did you think?

I'll now leave you to enjoy the weekend, and will pick up this Monday with our final discussion of Vegan's Daily Companion.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good evening VegNews Book Clubbers! We are in the third week of our discussion of Vegan's Daily Companion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, and almost nearing the end. I can't believe how fast this month has flown by! I will actually be out of town beginning this Thursday until next Tuesday, but I'll be sure to wrap up our discussion this week, as well as post the final discussion next Monday.

I hope you are enjoying this book so far! I know I've mentioned this before, but one of my favorite sections is the "Animals in the Arts" series, because I'm a film and literature nut myself. I really enjoy seeing symbolism in the arts, which are really why they are created in the first place. I've read and seen some of the films and books that CPG mentions, and hope to catch up on the others.

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. What is your favorite book or film which symbolizes animal rights?

2. There are many stories of rescued animals within this book. Have you ever been to an animal sanctuary or rescued an animal yourself? What was that experience like?

The Assignment: Please read Day 281 to the end of Vegan's Daily Companion, and try to do at least one thing, such as make a recipe or try one of the foods CPG features, for our discussion on Monday, April 25.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Good morning VegNews Book Clubbers, and my sincere apologies for the late wrap up post. I want to thank those who participated in last week's discussion of Vegan's Daily Companion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau, in which we talked about if you have practiced any of the tips in the book, and where you go to look at cute pictures of animals. Every answer was different for my first question, which is great! And many of you already have furry friends, so you choose to look at them instead of a computer screen. That is definitely the way to go!

I will be posting this week's discussion later today, and I look forward to seeing the conversation started. Until then!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers, and welcome to the second week of our discussion of Vegan's Daily Companion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau! I hope you guys are enjoying this inspirational read so far. The VN Store copies are now sold out, but the book is available at many other places, so be sure to get your copy soon to join in the conversation.

I asked you to read Day 116 to Day 203 for our discussion this week. Due to the book being laid out like a day minder, there's really not much to summarize, but I will talk about how the book has affected me so far. CPG stresses the idea of eating a diet based on whole foods throughout the book, and features a different food at the beginning of each week. I have definitely found myself wanting to cook with more unprocessed foods throughout the month so far, which I think is a really good thing. I'm excited to broaden my culinary horizons!

Second, Day 199 really caught my attention—probably because of the photo of the very adorable pig. The topic of that day is looking at images of animals, or spending time in the presence of animals, to increase overall health. I personally do not have a companion animal, but I do dog sit occasionally, and I've realized that I'm much calmer at those times, and happier overall. Unfortunately, I will not be able to adopt a companion animal any time soon, but I'll definitely be taking CPG's advice, and will try to look at an animal each day. I also hope that you have taken some of her advice as well!

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. Have you practiced any of the advice or tips from any of the days so far? If so, which day, and how did it affect your day or week?

2. What websites do you use to get your daily dose of cute animals?

The Assignment: Please read Day 204 to Day 280 of Vegan's Daily Companion, and try to do at least one thing, such as make a recipe or try one of the foods CPG features, for our discussion on Monday, April 18.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Happy Friday everyone, and thanks for a great first week of our discussion of Vegan's Daily Companion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. If you don't have a copy of the book yet, hurry to get a signed copy at the VN Store—they're going fast!

I asked two discussion questions for this past week. First, I asked if you will use the book on a daily basis after reading it all the way through with the Book Club. There were varying answers. Some of you will use it for inspiration on a daily or weekly basis, or when you just need a little boost, or a good recipe to make. Some of you also said that you might pass the book on to family members or friends in order to spread the message of veganism. These are all wonderful ideas!

For the second question, I asked what your favorite themed day of the week is. Tuesdays were a big winner; they deal with communicating veganism effectively. This is very important, because the vegan lifestyle is a hot topic, and one that everyone wants to discuss, whether they're for it or not. Fridays were a close second though, which are the stories of hope, including stories of rescued animals. Who doesn't love reading about animals who beat the system?

Again, thank you for all of the discussion this week, and I look forward to discussing Day 116 to Day 203 next week. Have a great weekend!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Gist: Good afternoon VegNews Book Clubbers! I hope you enjoyed the week off, and also were able to use the time to begin your reading of this month's book, Vegan's Daily Companion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau (CPG). I think this is actually one of my favorite books so far with the Book Club—maybe because of its simplicity. I really find it to be a breath of fresh air, and I hope you guys are enjoying it too. If you do not have a copy yet, there are signed copies on the VN Store, so be sure to get yours today!

This book is quite different from our past reads, because it's meant to be a "daily companion," throughout the year. As explained in the "How to use this book" section, the book is more like a day minder, with sections for each day of the year, though Saturdays and Sundays are grouped together. Each day of the week has a different theme: Mondays are about food; Tuesdays talk about communicating veganism effectively; Wednesdays deal with health; Thursdays share about animals in literature and film; Fridays give stories of hope, such as a profile of a rescued animal; and weekends are for recipes.

As mentioned above, I am really enjoying this book, and once I read it all the way through, I plan to use it as a day minder. It's a very inspirational and positive book, and I look forward to having it by my side throughout the year!

The Discussion: Here are two discussion points to help get the conversation started. I look forward to hearing from you!

1. After reading through with the Book Club, do you think you'll use this book on a daily basis?

2. What's your favorite themed day of the week, and why?

The Assignment: Please read Day 116 to Day 203 of Vegan's Daily Companion, and try to do at least one thing, such as make a recipe or try one of the foods CPG features, for our discussion on Monday, April 11.

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig

The Summary: Happy Friday everyone! We have now reached the end of our reading and discussion of Veganist by Kathy Freston, and thanks to Crystal and lulu for participating this week. We will be taking a break next week from the Book Club, which will give you time to get started on our April read, Vegan's Daily Companion by Colleen Patrick-Goudreau. We have signed copies on the VN Store, so be sure to get your copy before the discussion begins!

Now to the Q+A with Kathy Freston! Kathy generously lent her time to answer six of the top questions I received from our readers. Here are the questions with Kathy's responses. A big thanks to Kathy for sharing her thoughts with us here. Happy reading and have a great weekend!

Catherine: I am "leaning" into veganism as you suggest. Over the last four weeks since I've read your book, I would say that I am leaning pretty hard! My challenge is my 16-year-old son. He truly believes that eating meat makes him a man. In fact, he thinks the more meat he can eat, the more manly he is. I've thrown out some of the horrors of the factory farms and slaughterhouses, but he tunes it out. I'm looking for any suggestions to try to reach my son and help him to understand the consequences to his own health, the animals he is eating, the planet, the people that have to work in the environment that produces the meat, etc. Do you have any suggestions?

Kathy: Bravo you for leaning in! Well, you have a two-fold issue with your son. One is that he's a teenager, and it's his job right now to rail against his parents and go his own way (I say that only half jokingly). The second is that pushing someone to see things the way we see them never works, it only pushes them away. How would you feel if someone were trying to impress their views on you; wouldn't you just get annoyed and resist even more? I would let the ethical side of the conversation just rest for a while. Your son might be interested in seeing how really fierce athletes like Mac Danzig (UFC), John Salley, Tony Gonzalez, or even Mike Tyson eat in order to be fast on their feet and recover quickly. They all attribute their strength and success in sports to being vegan (or veganish). This way, you've caught his interest, and he might be more willing to give meat a rest here and there. You can also win him over with hearty meals, like tacos with Gardein beefless tips; black bean burritos with guacamole, vegan sour cream, and Daiya cheese; or quinoa pasta with meatless meatballs and tomato sauce. In time, the ethical awareness will come (for many guys, it's a girlfriend that turns that light on), but for now just feed him well!

Jennifer: The personal stories in each Promise section are great. How did you find these particular people?

Kathy: The personal stories just streamed in—it's as if the book just wanted to be written! Some came from the doctors and nutritional scientists that I spoke with—those guys have changed so many patients' lives, so it was a matter of finding the people who wrote their stories well. And the undercover investigators and rescuers came to me through the different organizations like the Humane Society of the US, PETA, Farm Sanctuary, and Mercy for Animals. One of the leads actually came from someone at VegNews! It's a tight community, those who give their lives to animal advocacy, and everyone in it is so willing to help wherever they can.

Michael P: Which part of the book was your favorite to write and why? Which was most difficult and why?

Kathy: Hey Michael! I loved writing the afterward, actually, because that is all about how to make the shift. I love helping people find their way as they lean in to being vegan or veganish. I know what their questions and concerns will be because I felt it all myself when I began my journey into conscious eating. It can be overwhelming when you are new to the idea, so I love making it easy and practical. The hardest part was pulling together Promise 8, about reducing animal suffering. It kills me every time I read an account of what happens behind closed doors to animals destined to be our food. It slays me. But I figure that if the animals are going through it, the very least I can do is bear witness to it. And talk about it.

Karin: Who is the person who has surprised you most by leaning in to a vegan diet?

Kathy: I was really surprised to see President Bill Clinton go vegan! I mean, this is a southern man who clearly savored burgers and steaks every chance he could get his hands on one. And he's in those circles where it's not so easy to get vegan food (he's traveling and at conferences, working with diplomats, etc.). But he's a great icon to look to, because if he can change, anyone can!

Robyn: What's your all-time favorite meal?

Kathy: I love almost any kind of pasta. A big bowl of it, with a glass of red wine. Sheer heaven!

Anonymous: What are your plans post-Veganist?

Kathy: I have so many plans, but you never know what will work out! I'd love to do a TV show—make vegan fun and interesting and easy. And I always say I'm never going to write another book (because it's exhausting), but then I hear the little voice in my head spewing ideas and thoughts, and I know I have to abide! Anything that makes veganism more popular and accessible, I'm game.

Thanks again Kathy!

~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig